Advantages of multiple field of view spectrometer

Increasing range of applications of spectral detection has brought more attention to spectrometers. Some of the existing spectrometers are no longer relevant to the demands of the application. High spectral resolution, wide spectral dynamic range, and high compactness are the main features of current spectrometers. We present a multiple field of view spectrometer (MFOVS) concept in the context of a planar diffraction grating spectrometer. By setting multiple field of view (FOV) in the sagittal plane of the spectrometer, spectra from different FOV can be acquired simultaneously by one spectrometer. An area imaging sensor was chosen as the detector to cover the spectrum from all FOVs. A cylindrical lens was placed in front of the detector to control the width of the spectrum in the sagittal direction. In the simulation models, we superimposed the spectra from different FOV to form a spectrum covering a larger area of the detector, or separated the spectra from different FOV spatially so that the spectra from each FOV can be acquired independently. The two design goals mean that the spectrometer was expected to be more sensitive to weak signals or to replace multiple spectrometers with one spectrometer. Experimental prototypes based on practical applications were also presented. The results indicated that MFOVS have the advantages of having a wider spectral dynamic range or simultaneous acquisition of multiple spectral information, depending on the application requirement and design objective.

Automated summary

The increasing range of applications of spectral detection has led to the development of spectrometers with high spectral resolution, wide spectral dynamic range, and high compactness. This paper presents the concept of a multiple field of view spectrometer (MFOVS), which allows for simultaneous acquisition of spectra from different fields of view. Experimental prototypes based on practical applications demonstrate the advantages of MFOVS in terms of wider spectral dynamic range and simultaneous acquisition of multiple spectral information.